New answers tagged medieval
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In much of Late Antiquity (which was very much like the Medieval era, more so than earlier Antiquity in many ways), the Western Roman Emperor's entire court was mobile and travelled the Empire. So clerks, court officials, servants, and sundry hangers-on.
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How would an industrial revolution affect the Catholic Church's theology in a 1400s setting [closed]
A perfect match
The Catholic church has never opposed capitalism. On the contrary. Cistercian monks were the very pioneers of capitalism themselves, in medieval times. In the 19th century (and to a lesser extent the 17th-19th century-) Industrial revolution, there was little active involvement of the church, but religion did serve the new powers that be, by ...
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How would an industrial revolution affect the Catholic Church's theology in a 1400s setting [closed]
Any massive change in the historical conditions will affect all aspects of culture and society.
Make no mistake: an Industrial Revolution in the 16th century is a massive historical change. An industrial revolution requires a large, educated, literate, and free workforce; it requires an active economy; it requires universal education; it requires an ...
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How would an industrial revolution affect the Catholic Church's theology in a 1400s setting [closed]
The theology of the Catholic church doesn't change. It is what it is. People either accept it or they don't.
Industrialization doesn't affect the Church's theology. Industrialization eventually leads to education and once people become educated it is then that they begin to question their situation and whether they accept the Church's theology.
The thing ...
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Go somewhere without too many humans
A floating rock over a dense rainforest makes it too much of a pain to investigate, but still gives you regular rain. For best results, sit on plateau above a jungle, to be as inconvenient as possible to reach.
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There are several options depending on the tone you want to set.
Attack the source. If the force field is being created by a person or object, disrupting or destroying the person or object creating the field could destroy the field.
Attack the field. The field might be vulnerable from the outside to magical or kinetic attacks. Fireballs, beating on it ...
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Read 'The Prince' by Machiavelli. Its quite short and easy to find. It addresses this and related issues in some of its chapters and generally gives an insight into the art of states craft and politics as practiced by the kings and rulers that period when mercenaries were regularly employed. It also includes examples of what Machiavelli regards as 'classic ...
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By hitting it with a trebuchet. The wall could hold up long enough to get a bead on it, and a rock that weighs several tons dropped on a tank would easily destroy it.
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The only feasible thing to do is to unite several of the kingdoms through political manipulation (royal marriages, assassination and careful replacement of the monarch, etc, without making it clear that there is any connection between the countries. Then, stage a moment of weakness, perhaps attacking a kingdom that had not been conquered, or pretending to ...
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There is a big-time advantage to hiring once-enemy mercenaries. If you do, they will be aware of some of the typical battle plans and strategies of your opponents, but you do need to be careful that they do not turn on you. And watch how much they tell you of your enemy's plans. If they spill the beans without demanding huge sums of money, they are ...
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Armor made from or coated in lead would help, but only against some forms of radiation (Alpha and Beta particles), but not against others (Gamma rays) You would have to be careful that the radioactive substance does not release gamma rays, or else have it sealed in a vault with several inches of lead surrounding it or base your civilization in a castle-like ...
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If they are aware of the problem but don't have the technology, they can just follow the guidelines we have today for civilians, for survival after a nuclear war.
Unless you have a high-tech bunker, you can't protect yourself from all the fallout. But you can reduce it, by focusing on the most important thing: keep dust away.
There is nothing you can do ...
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Detection is a form of protection. Knowing where the radiation is a big part of the problem.
The Leyden jar was invented around 1745 and is an example the early investigations of electricity so that fits in with your time period.
The gold leaves of the jar separate when charged up, (like charges repel) and when radiation enters the air in the jar, it ionizes ...
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You can't protect yourself from a danger you are not aware of.
1800's-level technology was totally ignorant of the risks related to radioactivity. Marie Curie (born 7 November 1867 – dead 4 July 1934), while researching on radium, used no protections against it, resulting in her notebooks being still radioactive today, and her coffin being lined with lead.
...
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Human had Plumbum (Lead) for thousands of years, which can shield human body from most forms of radiation. The problem is knowing where to apply shielding:
With regards to isotope poisoning: test unknown foods before consuming, by using materials which discolor in presence of radiation or organisms which will die of exposure. AFAIK, radiation will turn iron ...
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Lots of good advice pointing out the big flaw where do they get the gas?
So, to make this interesting, I'm going to give your world one big difference - it already has floating sky animals. (Am possibly inspired a bit by the Gossamers in Wen Spencer's Elfworld). These sky cows have different intestinal flora that generate hydrogen and there's an equivalent ...
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It depends how easily they can change elevation/land, and at what cost. Without effective propulsion they can still change direction by picking up different air streams moving in different directions at different levels, or land and take off for trading etc... but to do that they need to be able to change elevation cheaply and easily. That basically means ...
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By Landing
Unless I'm missing something, what is stopping your airship nomads from landing? Historic nomads followed wild herds or shepherded their own, and gathered wild produce from the land. This means moving mostly with the seasons- not every week, or necessarily every month. This also meant their movements were cyclical.
Airships are good for travel, ...
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Nomads Can Not Survive This Way
The biggest problem with this scenario is that the nomads have no control over where they go. They could have a perfectly good method for feeding themselves in their preferred biome, but then get blown into a desert or mountain range or tundra and then all starve to death because their method of feeding themselves become ...
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Trade
And they could live as Kings.
Trade was important in the Middle ages (specially in the second half). But it was hard, slow, and dangerous. Roads were poor, mountains, rivers, marshes, etc, were huge obstacles, make trade hard and dangerous. The Middle ages lacked good infrastructure. Being able to move through air means many natural obstacles aren't ...
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However, a significant issue with this lifestyle presents itself: food.
I like airships as much as the next person[1], but all the numbers involved in them are against your medieval society. Especially if "pastoral" and "nomadic" implies "poor", as shepherds traditionally are. Estimate a person at 150lbs, then a family of four ...
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Hunting birds bring nearby food sources back to the airships
Falcons for migrating birds
Cormorants for fish
Falconry is a Eurasian hunting method dating from the 13th Century BCE and well into the Late Medieval Period c. 1500 CE. The falcons fly out to catch small game and bring it back to the handler.
In your scenario, each airship has one or more of ...
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Aerial Trawling!
Your pastoral airships often pass over large bodies of water - many wind patters hug the coasts of continents. When they're feeling hungry, drop the nets! Trawling nets can catch huge amounts of fish and other sea creatures, and fish (unlike migratory animals) are almost always a reliable source of food year-round near the coastlines.
Your ...
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Pastoralists Follow Herds
Depending on the specific region of the aetherial seas you're looking at, Skyherd folk might follow any one of several great flockbeasts of the sky!
In the warm lands of Irinsurea, skyherd folks follow after the air buffalo as they wander from current to current, wallowing in the warmdraughts of the midverticals. These creatures are ...
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They can follow/search for migrating birds and use them as food supply. Ducks and geese, for example, are already used by humans as food. They could stock on them when they get the chance, so to build storage for meager times.
Together with that, when the winds bring them above the sea, they could throw nets or lines and fish.
Last but not least, they could ...
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(Assuming your okay with altering the world slightly) add some animals in the surrounding area to eat.
Like various birds(or just increase their numbers in the area to make it work).
Or change a few migrational behaviors and have those birds ALSO follow the wind, same as your airships (idk if they already do, some birds, I assume more often no).
Also, make ...
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